[FullCircle]

Hi FullCircle!

A tad less, if it was higher, that would bring them in to the anoyingly siblant area, as the savant is right at the brink of being too high already.




How is the highs of the Noble X compared to the Savant and Sage? Is it more in quantity or less than the other two?

 

[Mkubota1]

  Hi, are these able to be worn down?
 
Similar to how the Pinnacle P1's work? If you wanted to change the style you would just swap the earbuds?

 
Nope- if you simply rotate them 180 degrees, the wire will hit your ear lobes. If you reverse them (L/R > R/L) the housing will get in the way and you'll probably find it impossible to get a decent seal. If I recall there are certain IEMs you can do this with (Sennheiser IE80?); but this isn't one of them.

 

[Wyd4]

Here I was just about to pick up some savants.
Might wait and see if I can jump on this as in my Savant review, my only gripe was lack of bass impact.  I didnt find the bass wasn't there, just not at a level I prefer.

If this is primarily a savant, holds onto some of that mid tuning magic and smooth highs with a little more bass impact I am going to be all over this like a kid on a cupcake.

 

[tomscy2000]

  How is the highs of the Noble X compared to the Savant and Sage? Is it more in quantity or less than the other two?

 
I only heard the Sage for a few moments, nothing long term, but here are brief thoughts on the FR of the upper midrange to treble between the Savant (gift from Wizard), Sage (auditioned briefly), and Noble X (sample from Massdrop):
 
2.5k to 5k: Savant > Sage > X
5k to 8k: Savant ≈ Sage > X
8k to 12k: Savant > Sage > X
12k to 16k: Savant ≈ Sage >> X
 
The Sage, to me, has slightly smoother treble than the Savant but is in general similar. It has more forward mids and more tamed upper mids, which makes it a more pleasant sounding earphone (to my ears).
 
The Noble X, to me, has more recessed mids and upper mids than both the Sage and Savant. It has a more present lower mid presentation than the Savant, but has quite a bit more bass.
 
Of course, the Savant is now discontinued in favor of the Sage. The Noble X does *not* have that similar of a presentation to the Sage. The bass is somewhat similar in quality, but because the mids and highs between the two models are quite different, the quantity of bass seems fairly different. The Noble X will have more perceived bass than the Sage, less forward mids than the Sage, and more relaxed treble. Personally, I would prefer the Sage to the Noble X, but that's not to say others won't feel the opposite. The Sage is more forward and full in the mids, and that's its bread and butter. The Noble X is a little more V-shaped, but doesn't have grating highs or anything disturbing like that. Because the mids take a slight backseat, the texture of the bass will come out a teeny bit more. JM2C

 

[Mkubota1]

I don't think it has been mentioned; but this 'X' also has a MUCH improved memory wire, versus the one that came on the older Savant, Savanna, etc.
 
   New cable on the left, old cable on the right.
 
It's similar to the one on the newer Westones if you're familiar with that one. It holds a soft and gradual curve around the ear. And in case you're interested, it is the standard 'old' Westone or two-pin 'custom IEM' pin configuration. So you can go nuts on aftermarket cables if you want.

 

[sil3ntscr3am]

   
@canthearyou, I hope you're able to get in for this one. I was in South Korea at the time the HD6XX drop went live and stayed up to try to jump in for a couple more of them, to no avail.

I'm sure Massdrop (just speculating here) could be sending you a special pair when it ships...

 
Your post here at Head Fi was probably the key reason for the influx of interest in the first place...

 

[shotgunshane]

I don't think it has been mentioned; but this 'X' also has a MUCH improved memory wire, versus the one that came on the older Savant, Savanna, etc.


   New cable on the left, old cable on the right.

It's similar to the one on the newer Westones if you're familiar with that one. It holds a soft and gradual curve around the ear. And in case you're interested, it is the standard 'old' Westone or two-pin 'custom IEM' pin configuration. So you can go nuts on aftermarket cables if you want.

In my previous auditions of the Noble line-up, with similar housings, I thought the memory wire fought with me trying to get a good fit. This newer cable on the X, with just its memory shape, is much easier in use to find proper fit. I like it much better.

 

[tomscy2000]

+3 on the wrapped wire guides. MUCH better than memory wire, especially as an eyeglass wearer.

 

[Aural Sex]

 

Thanks FullCircle! 

 

[WutDaFunk]

How do these compare to the Pinnacle P1? Is it worth $50 more?

 

[Seph Haley]

Is an amp needed for this? I plan o using this directly from my iPhone. Can I just plug it in?

The nominal impedance is only 30 ohms on these, and the description on Massdrop says it can be easily driven by a phone, so you won't have any worries.

 

[Aural Sex]

   
I only heard the Sage for a few moments, nothing long term, but here are brief thoughts on the FR of the upper midrange to treble between the Savant (gift from Wizard), Sage (auditioned briefly), and Noble X (sample from Massdrop):
 
2.5k to 5k: Savant > Sage > X
5k to 8k: Savant ≈ Sage > X
8k to 12k: Savant > Sage > X
12k to 16k: Savant ≈ Sage >> X
 
The Sage, to me, has slightly smoother treble than the Savant but is in general similar. It has more forward mids and more tamed upper mids, which makes it a more pleasant sounding earphone (to my ears).
 
The Noble X, to me, has more recessed mids and upper mids than both the Sage and Savant. It has a more present lower mid presentation than the Savant, but has quite a bit more bass.
 
Of course, the Savant is now discontinued in favor of the Sage. The Noble X does *not* have that similar of a presentation to the Sage. The bass is somewhat similar in quality, but because the mids and highs between the two models are quite different, the quantity of bass seems fairly different. The Noble X will have more perceived bass than the Sage, less forward mids than the Sage, and more relaxed treble. Personally, I would prefer the Sage to the Noble X, but that's not to say others won't feel the opposite. The Sage is more forward and full in the mids, and that's its bread and butter. The Noble X is a little more V-shaped, but doesn't have grating highs or anything disturbing like that. Because the mids take a slight backseat, the texture of the bass will come out a teeny bit more. JM2C

 
 
Thanks for the inputs tomscy200!
 
I got a clear picture of what you just shared. Cheers!

 

 

[mark1993]

Recessed mids, that concerns me

. Returned Pinnacle P1as I felt mids were recessed. Hope thats not the case here. 
tomscy2000: please comment on how they sound with vocal-centric music

 

[Rin1990]

Hi, are these able to be worn down?

Similar to how the Pinnacle P1's work? If you wanted to change the style you would just swap the earbuds?

As far as my knowledge go, no Noble IEMs can ever be worn down and this probably won't be either.

Just for the sake of telling the experience, I've once tried wearing the Savant Universal that uses the same housing as any universal series other than the larger K10U down the ear.

Very, very awkward fit and plenty of sound leakage.

Wearing Noble like normal down IEMs is impossible due to housing shape.

 

[twibmassa]

Man, I love massdrop collaborations...I was wondering if anyone had anything to offer for my current situation. I own many IEM's but my most high-end would be the mass-drop early adopted Campfire audio Nova's. These are also a 2 BA iem. Is the Noble X an upgrade/downgrade/sidegrade compared to the Nova? I have been going through many neutral/analytical headphones/iems and the description of punchy and engaging sounds like a nice change. I live in BFE and base all my purchasing off of internet descriptions and help from the community, and any input on this would be greatly appreciated...I just purchased the HD6XX so I don't NEED these......but....Nobles have always peaked my interest.